


Attention to Detail

by LeChatRouge673



Series: The Witcher Tales [5]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:28:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27996777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673
Relationships: Eskel (The Witcher)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Witcher Tales [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050413
Kudos: 3





	Attention to Detail

Eskel dragged his hand across his brow, flicking a few drops of sweat in the direction of the arachnomorph as it twitched in its final death throes. They were not a particularly resilient enemy, but there had been a whole nest of the whoresons, and they were damned fast. It was a workout, no question, but he still took contracts like this occasionally just to stay in shape.

That idea in itself was almost laughable: he had never dreamed there would come a time when he could be picky about the jobs he accepted, or that he would be in a position where he had someone to go home to and, therefore, cared about whether or not he came home at all. He hadn’t been suicidal by any stretch of the imagination; simply pragmatic. ‘No witcher has ever died in his bed.’ These days, however, that possibility was seeming not only more and more likely, but more and more appealing.

Eskel wiped off his sword on the grass before stowing it away, then began the somewhat tedious task of harvesting the kills for mutagens and other useful potion ingredients. Livia had specifically asked him to bring her some more silk samples; something about testing its properties to replicate in her own threads. Normally, she would have come along and collected them herself. His lady love was a formidable force in her own right and could have probably dispatched the arachnomorphs even more efficiently than he had, but she also had a deathly fear of the creatures.

It would have almost been funny, given how she would ever so gently usher normal spiders out of their house and into the garden, except Eskel knew there was a world of difference between the friendly arachnids that occasionally wandered into their home and the wiry-haired behemoths he had just killed. So he had simply promised to bring her back whatever she needed. Hell, he would have hauled back the entire nest if she’d asked him to, such was his devotion to her.

He was giving the area a final once-over, preparing to toss a dancing star bomb into the nest to ensure a new brood would not simply move in, when amidst the foul webbing and rot he noticed a spot of brilliant color. Eskel stepped closer, frowning slightly, and bent to examine the bloom. He had never seen anything quite like it before: delicate petals that were a deep, velvety blue at the center where they wrapped around the stem, bleeding out to an ethereal, almost silvery blue at the edges that reminded him of Livia’s eyes. It seemed to be not quite a rose, and it had no thorns.

Eskel turned and walked over to where Scorpion was waiting patiently, grazing on a patch of grass that had not been corrupted by the nest. He retrieved a small notebook and a pencil, then returned to the flower. He carefully noted where he had found it, the conditions of the light and soil, and any other details he thought might be useful for Liv. Then, with the utmost care, he began slowly removing the webbing. When he had cleared enough space, he gently dug out the blossom at its roots, maintaining a fair bit of the soil as well, and stowed away in one of his sample collection boxes.

When he rode into the courtyard that evening, Livia was there waiting for him, a smile on her lips and the twilight stars reflected in her eyes. Eskel had barely dismounted when she leapt into his arms and he caught her, spinning her around with a laugh before setting her softly back on her feet and leaning down to kiss her.

“I missed you,” she said simply, giving Scorpion an affectionate rub on the nose as the horse nudged her arm. “Yes, Scorpion, and you too.”

“I missed you too, Liv,” Eskel replied, pressing another kiss to her lips. “Funny how I never felt all that lonely on a job until after you showed up. Really throws a wrench into my whole ‘stoic loner’ thing.”

She laughed. “Terribly sorry, my love, but if it any consolation, at least you no longer have to rely on that aesthetic to get laid. Now come on: let’s get everything unpacked, and then I’m sure you’re hungry. I was not sure how late you’d be, so I set out some bread and cheese and grapes on the kitchen table.”

They unloaded the samples and specimens he had brought home, carrying them to their laboratory and neatly stowing them in their proper place. When she came to the small wooden box, Liv’s brow furrowed in curiosity. “What in the world is this?” She asked, carefully unlatching it, and Eskel could not help a small smile when her breath caught at the sight of the contents.

“Eskel… where in the world did you find this?”

“Believe it or not, in the arachnomorph nest,” he answered, handing over the notes he took. “I knew you would want details, so I took down as much as I could think to.” He gave a small shrug, but secretly he was pleased she seemed so happy. “I saw it, and I thought of you. No one knows plants quite like you do, and those paler bits at the edge made me think of your eyes. Not as beautiful, of course, but at least an echo of it.”

“I have absolutely no idea what this flower is,” Livia whispered excitedly, already moving about her side of the workshop for a planter and more soil. “I have never seen it before, and you _know_ that just doesn’t happen. Oh, it will be _such_ fun to figure it out, though.”

After she had gently set the newly potted flower down on her worktable, Eskel wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close, stealing another kiss. “I’m glad you like it, Liv. I’d hoped you might.”

“Eskel, I love it,” she murmured, nestling her head against his chest. “Even more than that, however, I love that you were thinking of me.”

“Constantly,” he assured her, and she laughed, taking him by the hand and leading him back towards the house.

“Glad to hear it. Now, let’s get some dinner.” She looked up at him with a familiar spark in her eye.

“You’re going to need your strength tonight.”


End file.
